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Melissa hosted a Black History Month celebration at Taino Towers last Thursday, which was co-sponsored by Senator Jose Serrano, Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

The evening was filled with friends and neighbors, along with excellent entertainment.East Harlem Repertory Theatre Company singers and actors paid tribute to Madam CJ Walker, Marvin Gaye, Harriet Tubman and Michael Jackson with dazzling and moving performances. Additionally, we had the opportunity to honor two extraordinary women in our community with the Black History Month Award – Princella Jamerson, a South Bronx community activist, community safety advocate and the President of Millbrook Houses Resident Association; and Kioka Jackson, an East Harlem community activist, youth services advocate and the Chair of the Tony Mendez Houses Tenants Board.

You are invited to attend an MTA public workshop regarding the construction of the Second Avenue Subway.

The goal of this workshop is to maintain an open dialogue between the MTA and the community at large. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage project representatives about current construction activity and the initiatives implemented by the MTA as a direct response to community input from the previous SAS public workshop.

MTA employees and contractors will attend the workshop to facilitate discussion and answer questions.

As some of you may know, the Christmas season in Puerto Rican culture stretches out into January. First with the celebration of Three Kings Day and then, days later with Las Octavitas; the holiday season in Puerto Rico is the most extensive in the world.

With that being said, we hope you can join us on Tuesday, January 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, in celebrating Las Octavitas with traditional Puerto Rican food and live music. This event is not a religious ceremony, but a celebration of Puerto Rican cultural heritage.

Earlier in October, Coca Cola teamed up with local organizations to celebrate “Green Exercise Day” in East Harlem, which promoted children participating in recreational activities.

As a result of Melissa nominating local organizations for “Active, Healthy Living” grants, The Coca Cola Foundation donated $25,000 to Concrete Safaris and The Children’s Aid Society, among others. This is an exceptional opportunity for Concrete Safaris’ City Surfers program and for The Children’s Aid Society and we are delighted that we got to be a part of such a positive day.

Melissa with representatives of the Community Association of Progressive Dominicans, Concrete Safaris, The Children’s Aid Society and The Coca Cola Foundation. Photos courtesy of Impacto De New York Al Mundo.

Our office had a blast at the Sixth Annual Teen Fair! We thank all the organizations that participated and the talent that performed. Please enjoy just some of the pictures that we took and feel free to share any that you have from that day. We can’t wait to do this again next year!

We are delighted to announce that the Parks Department, Department for The Aging and Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs’ office will be holding the public launch of 14 city-wide swimming pools’ senior hours at our very own Thomas Jefferson Park Pool on Monday, July 9th at 10 AM. But the party doesn’t start then – the East Harlem Senior Pool Party will start at 9 AM on Monday, July 9th to kick-off our senior hours which will be every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 to 11 AM (July 9 – August 31).

In response to our local seniors’ requests, Melissa pushed for Thomas Jefferson Park Pool to be the first to offer dedicated hours to our seniors as a part of the Age Improvement District initiative alongside with New York Academy of Medicine last summer. Because of Melissa’s efforts, our community will no longer be the only one benefiting from senior hours at public pools, which promotes recreation and physical well-being, but now 13 other pools city-wide will be able to as well. Throughout the summer, a qualified instructor will be at each of these sites teaching organized water exercises and swim instruction.

“I am always proud when our community of El Barrio/East Harlem can serve as a laboratory for successful, innovative initiatives like this one,” Melissa commented. “We were the first to launch an Age Improvement District with the New York Academy of Medicine and the first to offer dedicated hours at our public pool for seniors. It is truly wonderful to see these senior pool hours being offered across the five boroughs this year. I thank Commissioner Benepe and the Parks Department for expanding this program citywide, as well as all of our local partners who are helping to make our community a healthier and more livable place to grow old.”

So come join us for this pool party to kick-off a monumental swim season for our seniors. We welcome all those over the age of 50 to enjoy the free snacks and music with your neighbors. To get the full list of pools participating in senior hours – click here. We hope to see you there!

WHAT: East Harlem’s Senior Pool Party & the launch of Senior Hours at public pools city-wide

WHERE: Thomas Jefferson Park Pool, First Avenue and East 112th Street

WHEN: Monday, July 9th; 9 AM (the launch of Senior Hours will be at 10 AM)